Topeka men discover sports artist's work in storage unit

Jan. 01, 2018

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two men in Topeka have found several signed works by prominent sports artist Ted Watts among the contents they purchased of a storage unit.

Joseph Joslin Sr. and Mike Schoep said they came across some of Watts' works after responding in October to an ad by a woman offering to sell everything in her unit at a self-storage business. The men bought all the storage unit's content for $600, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported .

They found the unit had a box containing black-and-white drawings by Watts that include a depiction of the 1956 World Series in Major League Baseball. Other drawings included the Milwaukee Braves' World Championship win in 1957, the Pittsburgh Pirates' victory in the 1960 World Series and the Brooklyn Dodgers' victory in the 1955 World Series.

Watts gained a nationwide reputation through decades of creating handcrafted sports artworks at his studio in southeast Kansas. He created art for more than 250 buyers, including more than 25 professional sports teams, according to his studio's website.

The College Football Hall of Fame in Indiana holds more than 75 paintings of Heisman Trophy winners created by Watts, who died in 2015.

Joslin said he's negotiating to sell the artwork to a relative of Watts who hopes to help preserve his legacy.